ATI Wonder Elite...anyone have it?

[MadDog5145]

I am looking around for the best tv-tuner card and have narrowed it down to the Compro Videomate Ultra and the ATI Wonder Elite (or any of its lesser-priced clones).

So does anyone have one...and how is the video quality?

 

[minerman]

Exceptional card I have been using since March and am really pleased with the picture quality, much better than the AIW 9800 and the Hauppage Win TV-PVR-250 that i have used in the past. The only gripe I have is with the software the "Cyberlink Power Cinema 3.0" is really lacking, but I am using MCE 2005 and have no problems what so ever. By the way the remote is super also.The TV Wonder Elite also uses very few CPU cycles, even while pausing live tv the load on the CPU is minimal.

 

[CraigRT]

I just got mine today, and I am sending it back tomorrow.

The remote is amazing, and I really want to like the card, except when I launch the software, the next thing that happens is I have to press the reset button on my computer. I did manage to get a TV signal for about 30 seconds on a couple channels the first time, but I did not notice any spectacular image quality.. it looked the same as my old ATI TV wonder from about 3 years ago..... But anyways, It totally locks up, different PCI slot, uninstall/re-install the software makes no difference.

I really wish I was able to like this card, because the remote is so friggin awesome..... shame I'll have to go to an IR based remote on whichever card I exchange for

 

[V00D00]

Yeah... there isn't really much in terms of advancements that go into a card like this that would set it apart from any other card. There's no sense in paying way too much for something that gives just a good performance as something that costs $40.

edit
After reading justlnluck's post below, I retract my comment about how that card isn't worth it. The fact that the audio is independant of the sound card is a HUGE plus. Audio/video sync is probably one of the most important things when you're capturing video.

 

bump

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: TheDoubleA
bump

just out of curiosity, for what?

 

[justlnluck]

Over the past year, I've been in search of the best tv tuner card. After many purchases and returns later, I can tell you a bit about what I learned from my experiences.

First of all, Craig, I know what you are talking about. I had lockups too and at first I thought it was the 550pro card. But then after I updated the AGP driver for my motherboard, the problem went away. Also, make sure you get Cyberlink PowerCinema 4 and not 3. The PowerColor card at Newegg is now selling with version 4.

From months of frustration, I can tell you that if you want to transfer VHS tapes to DVD, the 550pro is definitely the best choice of anything available. It is the only card on the market that doesn't rely on a soundcard to encode the audio. You don't need to worry about audio/video sync problems that are prevalent on the majority of other analog cards.

The disadvantage of this card is that it is analog only.

If you want the best TV viewing experience on your computer, definitely take a close look at DViCO's Fusion5 Gold card. I use it for all my tv viewing: HDTV, ATSC TV, and NTSC (analog) TV. From all the products I have tried, it provides the best quality video (ATSC & NTSC) and allows you to watch unencrypted digital channels from your cable provider (locals in HD).

If you have never watched analog TV on your computer before, you will be in for a shock. You are accustomed to sharp, crisp images on a computer monitor and will be amazed by how blurry and fuzzy everything looks from an analog source. Once you start watching clean digital channels in HD, you will never want to go back.

 

[CraigRT]

Hey justnluck, thanks for the info!
Actually, I trust you are probably giving me great information and would perhaps solve my problem, but what I do realize, is that spending a premium just for the remote on the Elite is probably just not worth it to me... I am probably just going to go for a Hauppauge 150 card with a remote, as it is about 1/2 the price of the Elite, and I have a friend with one, I actually really like that little card.... Also, from the reviews I've seen, the Theater 550 is a mixed bag. Often praised, often people say the PVR cards are better IQ than the T550.. Either way this is all going to end at some point, and I will have learned along the way which cards are good and why, so I don't mind going through a few til I find the right one for me.

 

[rbV5]

The hauppage PVR is closer to the ATI eHome wonder, they use the same conexant hardware MPEG2 encoder, but the eHome Wonder has 12bit ADC vs 9bit ADC's for Hauppage PVR series, the hauppage is supported in more proggies. PQ is pretty similar between them (excellent) I use an eHome Wonder along side my Theatrix for dual tuner support as well.

Theater 550 has 12bit ADC's plus hardware 3D comb filter. I use the Sapphire Theatrix model for about half the price of TV Wonder Elite, and the PQ is excellent.

Biggest downer is the lack of an EPG for the bland Cyberlink Power Cinema app that ships with it, but this card really shines in a MCE 2005 rig. You might want to wait a little also, since the Theater 550 is a AVIVO supported product, which looks to get an enhanced feature set used with the next gen ATI parts.

I have zero complaints with the Sapphire Theatrix, except for the lack of MMC support. I got mine for ~ $75 intending from the start to go in my MCE 2005 rig. I wouldn't recommend it without a decent PVR application (like any of the hardware encoder TV cards)